


The Calm Before The Storm (Part 1)

by FiendMaz



Series: Oceans Will Part In This War Of Hearts [22]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alec Lightwood Feels, Alec Lightwood Needs A Hug, Awkward Conversations, BAMF Alec Lightwood, BAMF Clary Fray, BAMF Magnus Bane, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Development, Conversations, Dark Magic, Dark Magnus Bane, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Domestic Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Fluff, Friendship, High Warlock of Brooklyn Magnus Bane, Late Night Conversations, M/M, Magnus Bane Angst, Magnus Bane Deserves Nice Things, Magnus Bane Feels, Magnus Bane Needs A Hug, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood Fluff, Parabatai Feels, Protective Alec Lightwood, Sweet, Sweet Alec Lightwood, Violence, War, Warlock Magnus Bane
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-01
Updated: 2017-07-01
Packaged: 2018-11-21 21:43:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11366217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FiendMaz/pseuds/FiendMaz
Summary: “Good morning, Alexander.” Golden-green cat eyes revealed themselves at the last word and the small smile on plush lips transformed into a Cheshire grin. “How long have you been staring at my face?”





	The Calm Before The Storm (Part 1)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello (possibly angry) readers!
> 
> Yes, yes, I know. I know... I really do know it's been three months.
> 
> I have had to take interviews, gather my legal documents, and basically prepare everything I needed in order to fly out to Europe for an equally long and hectic three month stay. I'm here in the UK for an internship and it's been crazy, crazy, crazy. I sincerely apologise for the long wait and especially to you, Eammiee12, whom I promised I would post this fic faster. (Would you believe this is the fastest I could post this?)
> 
> I'm not completely happy and honestly this fic should be longer but I decided to cut it into two because if I didn't, there wouldn't be an update for about six months. So here it is! The long-awaited new fic to the series and it is an epic roller coaster ride of ups and downs. Are you ready?
> 
> I'm sure you are.
> 
> [Title is from the song "The Other Side" by Ruelle.]
> 
> __  
> This series is set in the Shadowhunters (TV) world so some things aren't as it is in the book but those that aren't touched upon by the show yet are based on book canon as obtained through the Shadowhunters wikia. The rest are written with liberty.

Purple hues clashed with orange in the sky, the lines between them becoming more blurred by the hour as the sun steadily rose in the horizon. The colours reflected on the East River rippled prettily and the wind picked up the coolness of the temperature to blow along the populous Brooklyn borough, slithering through gaps between buildings and gusting strongly into open windows and doors.

Black lashes fluttered against porcelain skin and in a matter of gentle flurries, bright crystalline hazel eyes opened up to the windy world. Pulled away from the arms of Morpheus, the hazel eyes narrowed drowsily and a hand came up to roughly brush the last dregs of sleep away.

A moan slipped from the pinkish wide lips and hazel eyes shifted as the body tried to move when it found it couldn’t. The wide lips formed a twisted frown of confusion and the hazel eyes flicked down to a precious sight. Finished with its duty, the hand lowered itself from the eyes to card itself into downy black hair.

Alec yawned softly and tugged his other hand free from under a mound of pillows to cup the face adorably smushed against his chest. He traced the cherry plush lips he had many fond memories of kissing and smiled when he felt the barely noticeable stream of air being pushed out from secretive snores.

The worrisome ache he had felt in the days after the attack on the ship resurfaced gently accompanied by the sweet relief of having the one he had thought of so unceasingly being back in his arms once more. “I missed you.” He confessed quietly to the slumbering warlock, his voice hoarse from sleep and shaky from emotion. “I missed you a lot.”

He closed his eyes for a moment and pressed a lingering kiss on the warlock’s golden brown temple then leaned his cheek against the same spot. “I felt like I lost a limb.” Alec sighed and opened his eyes to see the sun peek out from the skyline. His lips played on a frown as he watched the orange hues of the sun glint against the steel and glass structures of the modern buildings high enough to be seen through the balcony railing. “Maybe I had.”

The retreating purple hues in the cloudy sky made its last bid for vain recognition as it cast its shadow against the people it towered over and a shade of the colour dusted the glittering golden skin of Magnus’ cheek who twitched under Alec’s close hold before relaxing once more.

Alec slowly let out his held breath and shifted so he could properly gaze upon his boyfriend’s gorgeous face. He smoothed the pad of his thumb along the soft skin of the other’s bronzed cheek and the corners of his lips curved into an unconscious smitten smile. He moved closer until the tip of his nose bumped into the warlock’s cute one. His smile widened of their own accord and he nuzzled in for a long Eskimo kiss then he pressed himself even closer to his boyfriend.

He kissed the cheek he had caressed seconds earlier and bit his lower lip, a slight twist to the expression on his face as he lingered there. “This is the sort of affectionate desperation I felt when I first saw Izzy.” He mumbled to himself. “She was so tiny.” Alec released his lip and laid his forehead to the side of Magnus’ with his eyes slid closed. “I loved her then before I even held her and when I did... I guess it was instinctual. But this.” He told himself with a slight hint of confusion. “What kind of idiot am I to promise that I’d say those words back to you when I don’t even know how people fall in love?”

He sighed quietly. “I’ve never _fallen in love_. I love my siblings and Jace… Jace was… I _liked_ him in a different way but I loved him as my brother.” Alec cringed at the painful memory of his confusing teenage years. He shook his head slightly to shake the thoughts away. “How do I know – How do I do this? How do I… I don’t want to fail you.”

The look of hope in Magnus’ golden-green cat eyes after he promised to reciprocate his boyfriend’s love was deeply ingrained in his mind, sharp and fully detailed. His heart had nearly shattered upon seeing the sheer number of implications hidden in their depths and witnessing the rare moment of vulnerability his boyfriend was so great at concealing.

It was a glimpse into the depths of a young Magnus, full of hopes and dreams and beliefs of fairy tales. A Magnus that had somehow been preserved throughout centuries even as the world beat down on him so hard and relentlessly that a greater man would crumble beneath the painful sufferings. But not Magnus. Beautiful, kind, brilliant and precious – Magnus was precious.

His boyfriend was a gem and by the Gods, Alec would not fail him nor the Angels who had bestowed upon him the greatest gift of mankind. There was also no way he could handle seeing Magnus’ broken look for the second time. Once was enough and he had vowed to himself, however hopelessly, from where he had stood watching Magnus leave that day he had confessed his engagement to Lydia that he wouldn’t be the reason for that look ever again. “Never.” He murmured, his throat tight.

“Mmm…”

Alec gingerly tilted his head back to attentively watch his boyfriend’s face. He studiously tracked every twitch of the other’s nose, every scrunch of the facial muscles and every pout that graced Magnus’ face as the other struggled to wake from the depths of his dream. It was such an adorable and captivating sight that a small burst of affection surged through him. He reached out and stroked the fragile area below his boyfriend’s eye in a lame (but thoughtful) venture of easing the other into wakefulness.

He was rewarded when Magnus’ plush lips formed a small smile and he instantly smiled as well. “Hey,” Alec whispered tenderly, prematurely, to his boyfriend whose eyes were still closed to the world. “Good morning, Magnus.” His voice rasped a little at the end though he paid just as little mind to it, more intently focused on the long fingers that were currently curling around the wrist of the hand he was cradling the warlock’s face with.

“Mmm…” Magnus moaned drowsily. “Good morning, Alexander.” Golden-green cat eyes revealed themselves at the last word and the small smile on plush lips transformed into a Cheshire grin. “How long have you been staring at my face?”

Alec stuttered out a laugh as his boyfriend tapped his nose with the tip of a painted pointed finger. “Uhm. Not long.” He mumbled lowly and absently, his focus on the warlock’s mark he was still unused to seeing.

“Is that so?” Magnus raised a brow, his cat eyes lit up with the spark of amused and satisfied teasing. “ _Darling_ ,” He purred and his grin widened even further.  “You can stare for as long as you like. I might even insist that you do.” He winked conspiratorially.

“Okay,” Alec whispered, unable to say anything more comprehensive with his attention so captured by the golden-green cat eyes he was being allowed to see. It was a different feeling altogether from the night before when Magnus had revealed them to make a point. He touched the side of one mesmerising eye and leaned in to kiss the spot. “I love your eyes.”

Magnus bit his lip and then, abruptly, his laughter waved around the loft with tones as warm and inviting as honey. “You are a wonder, Alexander.” He twisted around to lay on Alec’s chest more completely and hummed, pleased.

“Thanks.” Alec replied eloquently. He blinked once and before he could do anything else, his phone rang and buzzed against the table in an annoying fashion, rudely pulling them out of the cosy bubble they had been in. He blindly grabbed for his phone and pulled it up to eye level whilst he used his other hand to rub soothing circles on Magnus’ neck who was understandably groaning unhappily.

It was Lydia.

His heart thudded in his chest and his mind quickly snapped into business mode. It was rare for Lydia to call and especially at this hour knowing he was with Magnus. He swiped to accept the call and patted his boyfriend absently in a placating manner. “Sorry, it’s Lydia.” His lips curved into a half-smile of appreciation when Magnus’ head shot up with a worried look.

_“Alec?”_

Alec cleared his throat and placed the phone to his ear. “I’m here.”

_“The Inquisitor is demanding for a meeting. I’ve stalled long enough and I think they’ve finally finished their exhaustive inventory on the Silent City after their attack. They must want some answers seeing as we attacked Valentine’s ship on the same night.” Lydia took a deep and audible breath. “Can you go now? I still have some things I need to do here but I’ll back you up as soon as I can.”_

“As in right now?” Alec asked incredulously, face pinched in a frustrated expression.

_“Yes. I’m sorry, Alec, I know you just got Magnus back.”_

Alec sighed heavily and looked at Magnus’ worried look with his own mournful one. He slid his hand up from his boyfriend’s neck to caress the other’s smooth cheek, his heart flipping in his chest when the golden cat eyes fluttered sleepily in response. “It’s fine, Lydia.” He barely heard her respond with a ‘thanks’ before he dumped his phone on the couch and pulled Magnus in for a kiss.

It was soft, sweet and unbearably short.

“I’m sorry.” Alec rushed out as he pulled away to lean his forehead on the other’s. He squeezed his eyes shut briefly then opened them to bore into Magnus’ as intently as he could so that the golden-green cat eyes could be imprinted into his mind. “I have to go.”

“It’s alright, darling.” Magnus smiled sweetly and his eyes crinkled up slightly in the corners. “Go be a Shadowhunter.”

Alec smiled back and chuckled breathily when his hair was tucked back by long fingers. “I will.” He leaned in, eye contact not straying or pausing from its gaze on the golden-green cat eyes sparkling happily at him, and pressed against damp soft ones in a lingering kiss.

Beyond them, the purple and orange sky gradually mixed and melded into a cotton pink.

 

*~*~*~*

 

The sky was a darkening red that filtered in through the half-made glass ceiling of the building; its bare walls, stripped flooring and hanging steel frames evident of its abandonment. Dust particles drifted idly along with the copper-scented air whilst blood trickled down from the body on the odd steel table and made criss-crossing river flows to the corpses haphazardly scattered about.

A shatter of glass disrupted the dull silence with a grunted curse that echoed of frustration. Blood from the vial pooled around a spot a few feet away from the stiff-bodied warlock hunched over a range of various medical instruments and equipment. His magic sparkled around his hands in an almost steady fashion as it came and went through various liquids with less and less success at each turn.

Magnus shook the Nephilim blood in his hands, the contents glowing under the steady pulse of magic that entered it. He was currently unsuccessfully investigating a way to differentiate Valentine’s mixed-blooded Nephilim soldiers from pure Nephilim and Downworlders alike would be essential to the effectivity of his wards not to mention the safety of himself, his precious Alexander’s Institute and the Downworlders depending on him.

It was a task that was as difficult as it was menial and certainly wasn’t supposed to have taken him this long with no progress. Yet he was stumped and not a single creative idea was unearthing itself to push him forward in his task. And he was, understandably, a tensed ball of furled anger at himself, Valentine and everything in between and was just vibrating to unleash his powers for a sense of relief from his frustration.

He halted his work and trailed his eyes over to the stark white envelope sat atop the side table. It looked regal and official as it bore the mark of the New York Institute. The letter had arrived mere minutes after Alexander had been summoned at an ungodly hour to present himself before the Inquisitor at Idris. And if he hadn’t been suspicious of Lydia not going instead already, he would have been by the arrival of the request. As such, he was doubly suspicious and it had done nothing for his rising anger during the day.

Many scenarios had crossed his mind, many possible reasons, but none of them quelled the foreboding feeling that had latched onto his heart the moment he created a portal to Idris for Alexander and had grown exponentially since. He’d have called in advance to any number of the high ranking Lightwoods he was well-acquainted with for any information at all but, by luck or unfortunate planning, none of the usual Shadowhunters he mingled with were in the country or contactable and he supposed he’d have Lydia to thank for.

Ah, Lydia. Magnus wondered what she was up to going through painstaking efforts to make sure he was alone and without possible support for their meeting. And what a meeting it would be, he thought sourly, as Maryse Lightwood would be in attendance as well. Perhaps it wasn’t Lydia’s fault at all and Maryse had somehow managed to pull some strings over and under her children and Lydia’s heads.

It wouldn’t be the first time and nor would it be the last. He was far from the naiveté required of such luxurious thinking. And, in any case, he was sparse of any luxury that wasn’t material for better or worse. He always thought it was for the worse. More likely one in the long list of curses brought upon by the unfortunate reason behind his birth which was something that was always a joy to ponder on.

Magnus snapped the black medical gloves from his hands and deposited them carelessly beside the glaring envelope. He waved his hand over the steel table and the body erupted into cool blue flames. Another wave and the unfashionable – and sadly necessary – slim scrubs he had worn to protect his clothes folded themselves into a neat pile beside the gloves. Its dark purple shade threw even more of a stark contrast over the white of the envelope.

He brushed off the dust particles on his clothing and snapped his fingers to douse himself with a new helping of his perfume. Then, with one last look of utter distaste at the offending envelope, he willed a portal into existence and swept through it without a backwards glance.

 

*~*~*~*

 

There was nothing comforting about the Institute when it lacked the striking presence of the Lightwood children and the bright-haired Clary. Especially not when at the epicentre of two worlds, one full of life and chatter from the Shadowhunters pacing around their whizzing technology and the other filled with deafening silence and the calculating gaze of Maryse Lightwood.

Magnus wisely kept one foot outside of the office to secure his needed escape route away from the inevitable train wreck of a meeting about to commence. He darted his eyes out of Maryse’s steel gaze to Lydia’s and levelled a glare at her that he hoped conveyed all his annoyance and unvoiced questions. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“In a minute.” Lydia stalled, her lips stretched into an apologetic smile. “Please sit.”

One glance made it apparent that the only seat available in the office was directly across that of the Lightwood matriarch whom Magnus was beginning to think was a perfect statute of the woman what with her unblinking and unmoving state. Unfortunately, he knew it was impossible because no one in their right mind would have sculpted Maryse. He also knew that the lack of seating options was deliberate.

The effort to control himself from questioning Lydia’s sanity was immeasurable but he made no such move to do the same for his glare. He stood rooted to his spot, stubbornly and resolutely, whilst he internally debated on whether he should put up a protective spell on himself. “I’d rather stand here if it’s all the same to you.”

“Please come in. No harm will befall you, you have my word.” Lydia’s sincerity scored her every syllable but it was hardly enough for what she was asking of him.

Still, Magnus managed a half-smile though it was sharp. “Do I have _hers_?”

“Yes.” Maryse, surprisingly, answered, looking as if she was working very hard to chew through a spoonful of mud and sand. “You have my word.”

Lydia gestured to the seat with a slight inclination of her head in a wordless invitation.

“Right.” Magnus cautiously entered the room and purposely left the door open behind him. He gingerly swung himself seated onto the offered chair and turned towards the friendlier woman in the room. “Again, what’s this about and why did you send the others away?”

“That wasn’t –,” Lydia paused and sighed. “I thought it best that Maryse start with you. Alone.”

Well, if that didn’t sound ominous. “I won’t ask why I’m here a third time.”

Maryse cleared her throat. “Magnus,” She swallowed hard and breathed in deeply when their eyes met. She still seemed as if she was eating shit. “I – apologise. For everything. And,” She swallowed again. “Thank you. For what you’ve done for my family.”

Perhaps she was a friendlier clone though that still begged the question of who in their right mind would want to clone Maryse Lightwood. Again, not unless they were forced. Magnus inconspicuously closed his parted lips and stiffly, robotically, twisted his neck to give Lydia the full effect of his incredulous expression. He was acutely aware of the strain he was exerting in raising his brows so high from his shell-shock and he was dimly unsure they hadn’t flown to space already.

Lydia was a woman of no help at all at the moment. She simply nodded encouragingly as if there was nothing strange about the situation and it was _he_ who was being a difficult child in front of the adults.

“You’re…” Magnus shook his head minutely and flickered his eyes back to the Lightwood's. “Welcome?” His tone was high and flat at the same time which he didn’t think was possible but then this whole situation was climbing the top ranks of surreal situations he had encountered in his immortal life.

He really ought to give this woman a medal for making the impossible possible twice. Though Alexander was a single-handed phenomenon so he wasn’t entirely sure how much credit Maryse should get for all the times his boyfriend surprised him. Perhaps he should award Alexander with a medal when the boy got back from Idris.

“My children are on your side.” Maryse spoke up tensely after moments passed. “I accept that reality because I must. There is no love lost between us. I offer civility only for my children’s sake. Do not take them away from me.” Her marble face cracked and her eyes softened infinitesimally that it almost mirrored Alexander’s when the boy looked at him that night he returned home after taking on the group of Forsakens alone at the warehouse.

Magnus dropped his own guarded mask to let out a slight peek for the mother in front of him. “I may be many things, Maryse, but,” He rubbed his fingers together in a showy fashion beside his face and tilted his head. “I would never endeavour to separate anyone from their parents.”

He held off a smirk from twitching to life when he saw her open her mouth to insult him by reflex as she so often was wont to do only to close her own mouth with great self-control. It would have been comical were it not for the current situation he was still in. He was giving her a free pass to not bother with civility – he shuddered at the thought of having to do so more than he would usually have to – and there she was insisting on restraining herself.

“What is this, Maryse?” Magnus raised his hand, palm out, to stop her from replying immediately. “I want to know why we’re having this conversation and what possessed Lydia to make it happen.” He said it evenly and surely and hoped the woman understood he wasn’t about to let the meeting continue until he got his answer.

Maryse’s face flitted through a few more expressions before she finally settled with a barely vulnerable one. “I do not want my children estranged from me. They are my children.” Her jaw flexed and ticked.

When enough seconds passed to indicate the she was finished answering, Magnus sat back and let the sturdy chair’s unyielding back support him. He supposed saying they were her children was her emotionally stunted way of saying she loved them. It was less than he wanted and more than he expected; a disgruntling outcome.

He sighed minutely. “Have you ever considered that all your children want is for you to not be against them?” Magnus straightened up in his seat and clasped his hands together on his lap. “Being civil with me will not solve all your problems but that will.” He unclasped his hands and spread his arms outward in a suggestive gesture. “You have raised independent children, Maryse. If you wanted them to be dependent on your wishes, you raised them wrongly.”

Maryse pursed her lips and swallowed thickly. “No mother is prepared to let her children go.”

“A timeless and continual problem.” Magnus remarked calmly. “They have already gone, Maryse.” He said not unkindly but bluntly. “Though that hardly means they don’t wish you to continue being in their lives as a positive force and not another burden to carry on their already weighed and aged shoulders.”

“Time,” Maryse started shakily as though her emotions were running too high and were breaking through her carefully crafted barrier. “Moves too quickly while everything else moves too slowly.” She inhaled sharply. “I’ll remember your words, Magnus Bane.”

Magnus barely had time to react before the woman swept from the room without so much as a goodbye or nod. He rolled his eyes and gracefully laid his arms on the desk to tap his polished fingernails on the paperwork Lydia was pouring over.

“Oh!” Lydia paused in her work and glanced at the chair Maryse vacated seconds ago. “Were you two finished?” Her tone held a mildly disapproving tone. “She leaves whenever she wants, that woman.”

“It was she who wanted the meeting, Lydia.” Magnus shrugged carelessly and pulled his arms back to cross them over his chest. “If she’s done, all the better for me. The room was getting too stifling and I miss my Alexander. When will you return him to me?” He shot her a half-playful and half-serious frown even as he summoned a portal to appear beside him.

Lydia ran her hand through her blonde tresses and grimaced. “I’m not sure. Sorry, Magnus. I’ll join him there after I finish this but he won’t be away for longer than a day. That’s all I can promise you.” She smirked softly and reached over to place her hand on his shoulder. “Thank you for speaking with Maryse.”

“What is your involvement in all this exactly?” Magnus questioned with one raised brow.

“Maryse…” Lydia licked her lips contemplatively. “Approached me a few days back. She wants an ally to back her up with Alec, I think, but she’s also starting to crumble under her own baggage. There were a few times she came close to crying as she confided in me. It’s not my place to say but I think she deserves to clear things up with her children.”

Magnus shrugged. “Why me?” He uncrossed his arms and settled onto his chair more comfortably. “I hope you know better than to believe I’d get in between her and her children.”

“No. No, of course I know you wouldn’t.” Lydia batted the air with her hand dismissively. “You’re important to Alec, Jace and Izzy though so… I mean, she should clear the air between you two first. You know how protective Alec is over you and I’m sure Izzy and Jace are the same. The way I see it, you’re the best first step.”

“Is that so?” Magnus asked pensively. He gracefully stood up and brushed off his clothes for show then flashed Lydia a sly smirk. “I’m flattered, dear, and I’m sure Maryse blew an aneurysm when you told her that so I’ll let this slide. Next time, however, come clean to me. I’d rather not have Alexander be at the hands of the Clave simply because you want things kept secret.”

Lydia paused for a second before she nodded in understanding. “You’re right.”

“My dear,” Magnus stepped closer to the portal and placed one leg in. “I always am.” He winked and disappeared through the portal, leaving Lydia to smile fondly by herself in the office.

 

*~*~*~*

 

The late afternoon sun found Magnus lounging at his usual spot by the loft’s balcony with a whiskey on the rocks in one hand. He was staring out at the stark view of changing colours and oncoming darkness with the deep contemplative look that had started out back in the office of the Institute but without thoughts that had since diverted from those that rose from Lydia’s observations.

Alone and with nothing else to do, he was stuck torturing himself by replaying the vulnerabilities he had laid out the night before with no reprieve. And while he could live with most of it as Alexander revealed much to him, the last of their conversation had him agitated. He was ashamed, in denial – he was unceasingly berating himself because what was he thinking.

With all his years of living and considerable experience, he had one thing to say to Alexander after the boy had promised to confess back and it was _“oh”_. A simple, bland and pathetic _“oh”_ with so much of his emotions on display. He couldn’t begin to formulate a response to himself for such a grievous error. Not only did he let Alexander know how much he was wishing for the words to be repeated back to him, he had failed to let the boy know that there was no need to promise such a thing.

He had been so vulnerable and happy with the boy’s amazing acceptance of who he was that he had acted like a young, naïve man parched for love and not like an experienced man that knew such promises weren’t meant to be said nor were they promises at all but terrible shackles on the person who uttered them, forever to haunt an oath-bound man to fulfilment.

Magnus sighed irritably. “Regret is such a pointless emotion.” He muttered as he stared down into the amber liquid of his drink. The whiskey glass shattered under his gaze and he reflexively stretched open his hand to let the shards fall onto the floor. Droplets of blood oozed out from the glass embedded into his hand and he watched them drip with morbid attention; the bright red sparkled along with the remnants of the expensive whiskey that had splashed onto his palm. “ _Adversus solem ne loquitor_.” _Do not speak against the sun._

He rolled his eyes and all evidence of the incident vanished with a wave of his hand. It was really a wonder he hadn’t broken more than he had today with how frustrated and distracted he was. He leant against the railing and closed his eyes to enjoy the dawn’s cool breeze brush past his face and rustle his hair in a pleasant fashion.

It was a short reprieve.

A faint ripple, friendly and warm, went past his wards and Magnus opened his eyes once more to the sun’s bright glimmer through thick clouds in its descent. He summoned himself and his guest a glass of Long Island Iced Tea and stirred the drink in his hand. “You’re back.”

“Feeling any better, Magnus?”

Magnus’ lips curved up into a slight smile at the genuine concern and affection in the lilting voice from behind that reminded one of falling petals. “I could be better. Anything worth sharing from Spiral Labyrinth?”

“Oh Magnus. What a silly question.”

“ _Cat._ ” Magnus rolled his eyes, his smile not lost. “Anything worth being alarmed over?”

Catarina approached the balcony and settled on his side like always. “As is the times – Everything.”

“Ominous.” Magnus commented, shortly entertaining the realisation that his whole day had been rather ominous. He slid his eyes over to her pinched face and stifled a sigh that wished to exit his lips. “Let’s hear it then.” He said wearily.

“One of the warlocks teaching at the Academy has been sending daily reports.” Catarina caught his gaze, her eyes betraying her own weariness. “There have been many emergency meetings since the battle on the ship and he is almost certain that the Silent City was attacked on the same night.”

A few moments passed in silence as Magnus digested the information. He furrowed his brows in concern and there was something niggling at the back of his mind that he knew was important but for now he replied with, “I said it was too easy.”

Catarina twisted the black ring on her finger. “You know what’s in the Silent City.”

“Yes.” Magnus’ eyes widened and the thought so far out of reach mere seconds ago came to the forefront of his mind. This time around, he didn’t stop himself from heaving a great sigh. “The Mortal Sword.” He changed their drinks into dirty martinis and finished his own with a big swig.

The day just kept getting worse.

“We knew it would happen sooner or later.” Catarina swirled her martini with an elegant twist of her fingers on the stem of the glass. “That’s a worry for another time. I’m more worried about you.”

Magnus shifted his gaze from his empty martini glass to shoot his friend with a flat look though he was pleased with the arrangement of her priorities. “I’m fine, Cat.” The glass in his hand refilled itself with a fresh helping of dirty martini along with a stick of olive. He smiled wryly at her pointed brow raise and lifted his drink for a delicate sip. “Alexander… was called away to the Clave this morning.”

“Surely that isn’t what’s been bothering you.”

The soothing voice came from behind them both and Magnus turned around at the same time as Catarina to see Tessa leaning on the frame of the balcony doors. Her arms were crossed in front her chest and her dress floated around her knees.

Magnus met her grey eyes, inwardly wondering how off he was today that he hadn’t felt her enter through his wards, and dropped the glamour and guard from his own eyes. “Love makes a fool of us all, Tessa.” He said softly with the full weight of his emotions on every word.

“You once told me that love reveals the best and worst in us because we want to be loved for who we are.” Tessa’s eyes twinkled in the rays of the dying sun.

“I still believe that.” Magnus said forlornly. “It is an unfortunate fact.” He flicked his eyes between his two friends then let out a quiet sigh. He swivelled around to stare into the violet sky and found that the sun had disappeared behind the skyline. A small smile played on his lips, partly lonely and partly happy. “Alexander called my love destructive. – _Ah_. _Quite_ destructive. The distinction is important so he says.”

He didn’t have to see his friends to know that they exchanged looks behind him. “We talked right here on this balcony after you all left. He told me the most terrifying things.” He took a sip of his martini. “Alexander has been keeping everyone along with his family in the dark about things that might endanger me. He said that he didn’t want to risk me. He then let me know exactly how much he loved my warlock mark, my cat eyes, before he explained exactly why my love was quite destructive.”

“Why?” Catarina prompted when a short silence ensued.

Magnus took another sip from his drink. “I sacrifice myself too much in the name of love, he said.” He heard Tessa snort and he smirked in similar amusement. “Not that I don’t already know. But the point he was trying to make was that he needed me to always be safe.”

“You’ve always told us that he’s a good person.” Tessa commented mildly.

Catarina huffed. “We can all agree that he’s a good person but being a good person doesn’t mean a damn thing to me. Not when it comes to entrusting him to handle your heart the way it needs to be handled. Until I find out how far he is willing to go for you, I’d advise caution and wariness, dear.”

“You have to know it’s not about us being unsupportive, Magnus.” Tessa added sincerely. “We’re happy that you’ve found someone to love after almost a century but we don’t know him very well and as Cat explained, we’re scared for you.”

“ _’My love is like the wind and wild is the wind.’_ ” Magnus blew a puff of air out of his mouth and watched as blue dust swirled in the breeze before him. “I’ve always been terrible at protecting my heart. I never learn and I don’t know how to stop myself from loving. Sometimes I wonder if it’s my punishment for –,”

“For nothing, Magnus.” Catarina interrupted sharply. “You always belittle yourself in the most important ways.” Her voice was stern, nearly reprimanding. “You may be many things, Magnus Bane, but at the end of the day, you are everything good wrapped up in a body that is expected to embody everything bad. You are an enigma, a paradox. You are the best of us and you deserve the world. I’ve never stopped hoping you would start believing that.”

“You always say the kindest things when I most need it, Cat.” Magnus tilted his head to the side to flash his friend a smile. “Maybe one day I’ll believe you.” He felt Tessa’s arms circle his shoulders and he leaned over to lay his head on her shoulder.

“So long as you remember my words, one day you will. They are the truth after all.” Catarina smiled kindly.

“As for your Alexander,” Tessa caressed Magnus’ hair in an affectionate gesture. “You have said many things but I can still feel the heavy weight of your soul, dearest friend.”

Magnus dug himself deeper into Tessa’s petting and closed his eyes. “He promised to tell me he loves me… And I let him.” He revealed miserably. “Alexander cares for me. More than any of the other partners I had in the past few centuries did yet I can’t help but want more.” There was something about the day and the sun that was gone and the company of his friends and himself. He felt defenceless, out of sorts, and he really should get a grip but being here with his friends, he felt safe enough to just be. “I want his love and I let myself be selfish, thoughtless. Naïve. I let him fall into the trap of making a promise he can never fulfil.”

Tessa pressed a kiss to the side of Magnus’ forehead. “Remember: _amor gignit amorem_.” _Love begets love._

“Alexander already loves.” Magnus took a deep inhale and opened his eyes to the stars twinkling in the night sky. Much time had passed since he stepped out of the balcony in the late afternoon. “I knew it when I met him and still I… Still when it comes to love, I remain a boy, uselessly thinking ‘ _si vis amari, ama_ ,’ _If you wish to be loved, love._ “And like a fool, every time I am left with nothing.”

He blinked at the stars and leaned more heavily into his friend’s comforting embrace. “When I’m with him, it doesn’t matter that he doesn’t love me because he cares so greatly but when I’m not… By _Lilith_ , I can’t take it. I find myself wishing for Camille’s cruelty because somehow the wounds she inflicted hurt less than the palpable realisation that he may never learn to truly and wholly love me –,”

Abruptly, Magnus stood upright and for the nth time that day, the glass he held shattered. Something had snapped inside of him and his mind was on full alert and whilst he wasn’t quite sure what had abruptly dragged his pathetic self out of his misery, his magic had reacted and dressed him for battle.

He felt more than saw Catarina tense beside him and dread washed over him as he turned his head to look at her with his heart galloping inside of his chest. He didn’t ask what was wrong. He didn’t need to. He could see the blue light cast her face in its shadow and he knew without looking to check the gem of the black ring on her finger that his Alexander was in danger.

 

*~*~*~*

 

The permanently glowing Alicante city was no more and the implication of what that meant could be felt in the air. It hung like ice, colder than the snow that fell down from the sky, and froze the Nephilim in their steps whilst their hearts kicked up a notch within the cavities of their chests.

A hand brushed the back of Alec’s hand in the dead silence and he reached out to briefly squeeze Lydia’s hand to give her comfort and to give himself a grounding presence. He could barely make out the outline of the Inquisitor sat on her chair nor the few Clave members that had milled around The Gard, curious as to what would be said in the meeting.

The day was a long one. Lydia had arrived in the early evening and it was now late into the night. The Inquisitor had nearly exhausted her continuous stream of questions and they had been so close to getting back to the Institute when everything went dark. There was a tension in the room that was far more intense than anything he had ever experienced in his life and there was palpable fear.

Despite himself, Alec felt that same fear start to creep into him. Whatever their faults, the Inquisitor – the Clave, the Council, the Silent Brothers and the Iron Sisters were seen as figures of strength and it scared Alec to feel that strength crumble before him. He took in a breath and felt Lydia startle beside him from the sound.

It was only then that he noticed no one else was making any noise.

Alec grit his teeth and pulled the witchlight from his belt; it activate with his touch and abruptly lit the room with its glow. Startled noises could be heard from the other Shadowhunters in the room which he decidedly ignored in favour of meeting the Inquisitor’s sharpening gaze. “We must prepare for war.” He announced loudly and clearly, the sound of his voice carrying along the wide berth of the room and along the corridors.

The Inquisitor shifted her steel gaze away unto the Clave members scattered around the room. “What are you waiting for?” She asked coldly. “Alert the Nephilim and prepare for war.” They scattered in a hurry to do her bidding and she caught Alec and Lydia with her hard gaze once more. “Stay.”

“I must warn the Institute.” Alec said softly though he didn’t budge from where he stood and simply watched the Inquistor as she descended from her elevated platform to be on level ground with him.

“Your parents were wrong about you, Alec.” Inquisitor Herondale commented with a thoughtful tone. “You have the makings of a great and respected warrior. I made the right decision in allowing you and Lydia to lead the New York Institute.”

Alec’s eye twitched. He wondered if it would be polite to ask what exactly his parents were saying about him behind his back but decided he wouldn’t be civil enough in his current disposition and instead said, “thank you.”

“You may warn your people but I would like to keep two of the best fighters of your generation with us here in Alicante. They may prepare for the possibility of war on their front while we fight the one in our home together.” With that, Inquisitor Herondale swept past them and through the arc that led out of The Gard.

“Look at you making good impressions at such a dire time.” Lydia was smiling when Alec looked at her and seeing her calm made him relax in return. “I’ll fire message the Institute. You should contact your family.” She produced a few pieces of paper from the bag she was carrying and procured two pens as well. “These are reports but…” She huffed out a laugh and handed over a few pieces of paper and a pen over.

Alec looked at the report dubiously and raised both brows when he saw they were from the reports Raj had made quite a while ago on the dead Downworlder bodies. “Why do you still have this?” He asked whilst he sat down on the ground to start writing to his siblings, Clary and Magnus.

“Still trying to decide whether I should impose a harder punishment or not.”

“I see.” Alec sent off his first fire message to Magnus then went on to writing identical ones for his siblings and Clary.

Lydia sent off her message with a flash of orange and then stood up. “That’s done then.” She pulled out her Seraph blade and activated it. “I’ll go get us some more weapons from The Armory.”

Before Alec could so much as say a word, she had gone. He rolled his eyes at their similarity in thoughts and quickly finished up his letters. With a quick fire message rune to the corners of the papers, they vanished in blazes of fires. He stood then and started to activate and apply runes onto his body.

By the time he was done and had summoned his bow and quiver, he had received fire messages from all of his siblings which put him at even more ease. Jace was typically going to try to get to Alicante to ‘join in on the fun’ and Max was safe with Maryse in the Vatican Institute of all places. Izzy and Clary, however, were strangely in Alicante as well though safe with the Iron Sisters. He breathed out a sigh then sent over a quick reply to his sister that he’d meet them at The Armory with Lydia and to get weapons in preparation for war.

Lydia hadn’t arrived yet so he started to pace. The knowledge that his siblings and Clary were safe was a great load off of him but he remained tense with the non-response from Magnus. He clenched and unclenched his hands into fists to expend some agitation and almost made a noise of impatience when he heard steps coming closer.

“I saw Robert at The Armory.” Lydia said in greeting as she entered the room. She was carrying a belt of daggers, a Seraph blade and a few more arrows. “Here, Alec.” She dumped the weapons into Alec’s hands except for the arrows which she deposited into the quiver on his shoulder.

“Thanks.” Alec said shortly.

Lydia frowned. “Haven’t heard from your siblings?”

“I have.” Alec tightened the belt strap to the daggers and secured the extra Seraph blade to his left side before he faced her. “Magnus hasn’t replied.”

“Come on.” Lydia pulled him by the arm with a gentle but firm hold. “Magnus can handle himself.” She said softly, reassuringly as they walked out of The Gard.

“I know.” Alec replied without pause or thought. And he did but it wasn’t like his boyfriend to not reply when he made sure to express his worry in his message. He couldn’t help but think of the worst scenarios and his jumped into an even jitterier rate. At that point, all he wanted to do was get back to New York to check up on Magnus and see if his boyfriend was safe or not. “It doesn’t really matter.” He said eventually.

Lydia nodded as if she understood his inner turmoil and perhaps she did. She had proven to be quite intuitive and they had been partners for a long time already. To be honest, he wouldn’t be surprised if she somehow instinctively knew what he meant. “You worry anyway, I know.” She said simply.

“Yeah.” Alec paused outside The Gard to assess his surroundings. Shadowhunters were walking around with witchlights and Seraph blades lit up. They seemed to be wandering around with relative serenity and he took that to be a good sign though he wondered how long the peace would last or if they were already being invaded without knowing. With a renewed sense of urgency, he grabbed Lydia’s hand and dragged her along as he ran towards The Armory.

It was a sign of their great partnership and trust that she didn’t bother questioning why on earth he was going back to where she had just come from. And for that he was grateful – not for the first time – to be her partner and friend. He perked up when he saw the familiar glint of his sister’s whip by the entrance of The Armory and he sped up. “Iz!”

Izzy completely stepped out of the building at his holler and she was grinning visibly from the glow of her witchlight. “Hello, big brother. Fancy seeing you here.”

Beside her, Clary stepped out and waved slightly. The red head was less cheerful and more worriedly curious while she look around the pressing darkness. Her witchlight seemed darker in comparison to Izzy’s as a result of her dampened aura.

“Good; you’re both fine.” Alec nodded at them with a slight upward quirk to his lips. “Have you two been in contact with any Downworlders back in New York?”

They shook their heads and Izzy’s grin dimmed. “Is it Magnus?”

“Yes.” Alec roughly ran a hand through his hair. “Never mind that for now. I’m sure he’s fine.” The lie tasted like copper on the tip of his tongue. “Max is at the Vatican Institute with Maryse and Jace is going to come soon.” He reported to his sister who squeezed his hand gratefully for the news.

“The Clave will no doubt be assembling Shadowhunters to protect The Gard first and foremost and then The Armory. They may possibly send some over to the Adamas Citadel and the Silent City so those places will be fine. I’m sure they sent some scholars to check on why the Demon Towers were deactivated as well therefore we may be more useful doing things they won’t think to do.” Lydia listed off with experience backing her words. “Any ideas?”

“You can’t think of that too?” Izzy asked sarcastically with a teasing lilt to her tone.

Lydia smiled. “Sadly, I’m one of them.”

“Nah,” Alec lightly punched her on the shoulder. “You aren’t. You’re one of us now.”

“Thanks, Lightwood.” Lydia smirked at him and her eyes twinkled. “Got any more great ideas inside that warrior head of yours?”

Alec blew out a long breath and squinted his eyes at the moon above them. He checked the map inside of his brain and then let out a small noise. “We should head over to Brocelind Forest.”

They all looked at him with surprise on their faces.

“I like it.” Lydia approved. “They definitely won’t have thought of that.”

“Great. Let’s go.” Alec started walking, barely able to suppress his need to keep moving. He needed to be doing something here other than wait or he would go crazy with the need to check on Magnus back in New York. Ah. “Wait.” He paused to look at his sister and Clary. “Jace won’t know where we’re going.”

Izzy started to protest immediately. “Oh absolutely not. I’m not staying behind.”

“Clary’s going to wait and I don’t think she should be alone.” Alec reasoned. “Lydia and I’ll be fine. We’re just going to check on the Downworlders there and alert them to the situation. Whatever Valentine is planning, it might affect them first.”

“Unless he’s already here.” Clary said darkly.

“Like Lydia said,” Alec said a tad bit impatiently. “The Clave are going to ensure Alicante’s protected but they won’t give a damn about the Downworlders. Let’s not waste time arguing.” He gave his sister a pointed look and controlled his expression when she gave in with a disgruntled expression.

“If you see danger, you’re coming back, Alec!”

Alec smiled at his sister’s warning and gave her a tight hug. “Take care of yourself too, Iz.” He let go and pulled Clary in who squawked in surprise. “You too, little girl.” He didn’t sound affectionate at all, he was sure of it.

“Thanks… Bro?” Clary’s eyes were wide with both awkwardness and the need for acknowledgement.

“Yeah, don’t say that again.” Alec joked. He patted her on the head and started backwards. He only turned around to face his destination when Lydia finished waving goodbye to them. “Clary’s right. Valentine is somewhere in Alicante unless this is a distraction tactic.”

“An awful lot of effort just for a distraction.” Lydia mused.

“Like the ship?” Alec scoffed with the touch of annoyance he had from earlier in the meeting. “We played into his hands once already and I don’t want to do so again.”

“It wasn’t our fault. Besides, we did significant damage to Valentine and his army. It doesn’t matter that he had some of his people infiltrate the Silent City. That one wasn’t on us.” Lydia soothed.

Alec paused in his steps at nearly the same time as Lydia and he focused his attention to his hearing. There was some sort of noise a mere second ago and he was straining to hear the noise again. It came as a distant shriek, almost inaudible but with his rune-enhanced hearing, he could just about pinpoint what was making it and where. “Demons.” He looked at Lydia and just then noticed she had stopped for a different reason.

Her eyes were locked to their far right and she had become visibly rigid. He trailed his eyes over to where she was staring with trepidation and took hold of his bow when he saw a vague outline of a crowd of darkness coming closer. The slight change in the pressing darkness of the night and the demons was extremely slight but with extreme focus, it was obvious enough. He cast a furtive glance around them and saw that they were alone.

“Remember what Izzy said?” Lydia reminded with slow backwards steps.

Alec swallowed and tightened the grip he had on his witchlight. “Yes.” His voice was hoarse. The demons were closer now and if they were running, they had better do it soon. “Let’s head back to The Gard.”

“Count of three.” Lydia whispered. “One… Two… Three!”

They ran with as much speed as their runes could bestow upon. They ran as hell was literally on their heels and they could hear the demons’ shrieks as they scuttled after them with intentions to kill. They ran until they saw Jace’s familiar blonde head and Clary’s red head, beacons of colour in the otherwise black and white world of the Nephilim.

“Incoming!” Alec shouted. He braced himself for a full stop and thanked the angels that there were a significant number of Shadowhunters outside The Gard who were heading his warning and facing the enemies with determination. He slammed into Jace’s steady form, the air in his lungs robbed from him at the impact, and he took a moment to regain his stability before stepping out of his brother’s arms.

His parabatai was grinning. He valiantly stopped himself from groaning because he knew a smart ass comment was about to come his way. He did, however, roll his eyes in advance.

“Nice of you to bring the party to me, bro.”

 

*~*~*~*

 

In the darkness that had blanketed Alicante, little glows of light from witchlights and sparks of red from defeated demons could be seen. The defiant city was being overrun by demons but they stood strong and held their ground. Shadowhunters of all races and positions stuck together in groups and by twos as they fought to protect the grounds they held sacred and important.

A fresh wave of roars invaded the chaotic air and in its midst was a clear voice shouting, “more incoming!” The warning was a terrible thing to hear at a moment wherein the Shadowhunters were already starting to feel the toll of the sheer effort they were using to hold their enemies back.

By all means, they were simply facing a larger scale battle compared to the routine missions and patrols they were used to and so they shouldn’t have been so quickly exhausted. But whether because they hadn’t shaken off the initial shock of the demon towers failing or because they had been uprooted from their normal lives into a situation that was supposed to be impossible, their chests were all already heaving with the effort to take in enough air.

Alec slid his right foot back until he touched Jace’s heel then he fired his arrows through the charging demons without pause. He could see, from his peripheral view, Lydia throwing tiny weapons into the fray and the demons that were dying by her hand. Clary was closer to his left side and he could feel her heat seep through the chills of the night cooling his sweat. She was doing remarkably well and he judged that by the lack of pained sounds come from her.

And his sister was being her usual confident-self, striking down demon after demon with a crack of her whip or a perfect swing of her staff. She was whirling around in place with such precision that could rival his own aim and was doing so with such exhilaration present on her face.

“Circle members!” Lydia shouted from her position.

Alec whipped his head over to follow Lydia’s line of sight and saw a large crowd of Circle members emerging from the hordes of demons as well as the horrid sight of Shadowhunters falling to the ground. Their enemies were gaining on them and volume was clearly on their side. “ _Angel_.” He took a second to fix his aim and started his assault in that direction.

The next few minutes or hours went by in a blur of shooting his arrows until his quiver was empty and their neatly assembled positions had scattered as a result of the onslaught with the exception of his parabatai who was stuck to him like glue. They fought back-to-back like a well-oiled machine, their Seraph blades cutting down their opponents one after the other.

He ducked as a seraph blade swiped at him and kept his lowered stance as Jace parried. Whilst down, he took the chance to kick away a sneaking Ravener demon and threw a dagger at it to kill it. The Circle member before him fell under Jace’s Seraph blade and he stood swiftly to take his defensive position back just in time for a Forsaken to come out of nowhere and lunge at him.

Alec narrowly avoided the bat swung at his shoulder with a grunt. He then shifted to the side with a fast pivot and threw his elbow outwards, grinning with satisfaction when he felt it connect to and break the jaw of the Forsaken. He returned to his position and neatly cut the Forsaken’s head off with a sideward slash. The head rolled away into the mess of the fray and the body collapsed down on top of dead Circle members.

He sighed from exertion. There had been short breaks in between the long fight that had been time he used to mark and re-activate runes in a hurry but despite them, he was becoming increasingly worn out and he could sense Jace had the same problem through the parabatai rune. There were way too many enemies and they probably had a gracious hour more before their bodies would shut down.

Alec could already feel his consciousness retreat and his body start to act on auto-pilot; all reflex with no thought as his limbs enacted upon the years and years of training that had engraved the appropriate responses into his weary bones. His parabatai bond hummed stronger in response and he could immediately feel Jace’s actions with a sharper sensitivity.

He sensed Jace twist and reflexively advanced whilst doing a long point where his parabatai’s body was formerly. His blade sunk into a Circle member’s body and blood spurted out as he retreated to guard his right side where Jace warned him through the bond that a Circle member was about to attack. He deflected the enemy’s Seraph blade at the last millisecond and shoved his knee upward.

The Circle member doubled over in pain and Alec took the moment to ram the pommel of his Seraph blade onto his head. Once the man was down, he thrust his blade downwards and slid it into the body below as a sort of insurance that the guy would stay down. His bond hummed again and he slid over to his parabatai’s side to help Jace plow through a group of Shax demons before returning to his position and continuing to fight.

By the time he wiped his sweat and placed a well-aimed kick at an approaching Circle member’s Seraph blade (effectively killing the man), he was gasping air in like a dying man. His lungs were on fire and his chest felt as if they would collapse on him from the strain. He didn’t have to look around to know everyone else would be feeling the same or worse and he could feel Jace’s fatigue through the bond.

“Shit.” Jace cursed with much feeling.

Alec nudged his brother with his shoulder in an attempt of showing comfort or camaraderie and twisted the Seraph blade in his hand around. He startled for a second at the sight of a bright blue flash near the entrance of The Gard. He made to shake the image off when he saw nothing else when he heard protesting shouts from inside the entrance of The Gard.

He activated his vision rune and focused his eyesight into the depths of the entrance hall but due to the darkness, he could barely make out the tail of a cloak curling in the air as whoever wore it strode through without much resistance. And then, as if willed into existence, bright light threw relief into half of the entrance and Alec could see familiar fancy black boots twisting as its owner turned a corner. “Magnus?” He whispered to himself.

“Alec!”

In response to the panicked warning from his parabatai bond, Alec side-stepped. Air rushed past the space he was in a second ago as a staff swung into it to beat down an injured Circle member trying to get up from the ground with a broken arrow in hand. He didn’t have time to see his saviour, however, as a Forsaken was upon him in the next blink of an eye.

He refocused his attention to the battle, deactivated his zoomed vision and made quick work of the Forsaken that attacked him. The bright light that helped him see the intruder (Magnus?) was still present and it helped him see his enemies more clearly. His brows furrowed as he saw Circle members start to retreat with uncertainty mingled with fear on their faces while the demons shrank away from the lit up spots on the ground.

Alec watched them run away then looked to the side to see who had helped him out and his eyes widened in surprise. “Izzy.” A short burst of relief trickled down his body at the sight of his sister tired but safe and suddenly, he was more acutely aware of exactly how worn out he was.

He could feel his sweat slide down his face like water dripping down his body from the head of a shower. His limbs were shaking from the toil he had put them through to the point that he feared his bones were rattling inside of him. He swallowed thickly and trailed his hand down his sister’s arm until he was able to enclose his fingers around her trembling wrist. “Are you hurt?”

“I’m good, brother. Are you?” Izzy asked quietly.

“Yeah.” Alec let go of her and took a moment for himself to breath in and out. He glanced up and furrowed his brows in curiosity at the two bright white beams shooting into the sky from the outskirts of Alicante. “Yes… I’m good.” He looked away from the sky then pulled his shirt up to wipe his face with.

“Alec?”

Alec peered up from behind his black shirt and raised a brow at both his sister and Lydia. They were wearing twin expressions of confusion and apprehension though he couldn’t fathom as to why. “What?” He let his shirt go and tilted his head down to see if he had gotten injured without knowing or something only to pause in dread when he saw the ring Magnus gave him flashing in multicolours.

He grasped the ring in reflex and his body jolted as magic rushed into his body. His vision shuttered before flashes of scenarios played through a filter. He saw Luke fighting against Valentine, the ex-parabatais rounding on each other with twin vicious expressions then Preator tearing through Circle members then Catarina with a column of bright light shooting out from the palms of her hands and Tessa with a similar column of bright light.

And lastly… Lastly, he saw Raphael with his second-in-command, Lily, protecting Magnus as his boyfriend stared into a strange abyss in the centre of the war they were in, the light columns above them. He glimpsed a shifting patch of shadow within the abyss – then there was nothing.

Alec was thrown back into his reality with Jace, Izzy, Lydia and Clary looking at him with various degrees of worry and alarm. Disoriented and feeling positively sick, he dropped to the ground, keeled over and threw up what little content he had in his stomach.

The acidity of his vomit tasted more like the salty-copper taste of blood and he grimaced in disgust. He spat then swallowed once, twice, thrice and wiped his mouth off with the sleeve of his shirt. Everything was hazy; his mind felt as if it was swimming in viscous matter, his stomach was twisting and turning and he could feel himself oscillate on the spot.

“ _Magnus_.” Alec grunted and then forced down the bile that wanted to rise up again as the image of his boyfriend flashed through his mind. “Oh God.” _Magnus is about to face off a Greater Demon with only Raphael and Lily as back-up_ , he couldn’t say. “Magnus –,” He broke off and clenched his eyes shut tight even as tears pricked at them.

_Keep it together, Lightwood._

 

*~*~*~*

 

Inside the chaos that was the war at Brocelind Plain, a space was carved out. At a glance, one would say there was nothing remarkable about the area except for its emptiness and the fact that it was pitch black from its vacancy. And then they would stare longer and harder and slowly come to realise how the whole situation was anything but unremarkable.

The moon hung brightly above the bloody battle, serene and steady with its light. A whole contrast to the sparks of red and shining holy white that could be glimpsed from the war raging below it. And yet, steady as it was, it couldn’t quite shine any light upon a certain black space. A space so dark that it almost seemed as if it was absorbing light unto itself.

Inside of it, stood Magnus looking calm and collected, his face set into a stony-neutral expression. After years of living, controlling his expression and actions were basic things but he had no qualms in admitting to himself that he was having trouble at that very moment because at the opposite side of the abyss were horrifyingly familiar golden-green cat eyes.

He hadn’t seen those eyes in centuries and he had a plan to never see them again for as long as he lived and yet there were those wretched cat eyes and there was him in the same damn space. His fingers twitched as his magic rioted inside of him in want to be unleashed and his demonic side reared its ugly head in recognition of its progenitor.

A cold and emotionless smile curved on the other man’s face. “There you are.”

Magnus narrowed his eyes and his rapid heartbeat jumped into his throat. Whether he was feeling fear or anger at that moment, he didn’t know and he really couldn’t be bothered. His ears were ringing and his mind was shifting chaotically as his inner full-blown panic reached its peak. Still, he stubbornly kept his calm outward appearance and found the time to observe the other’s similar cat eyes.

There were moments in his life he would do the same with his own cat eyes. Wherein he would stare at them in the mirror with the full intention of memorising everything another person would be able to see when they would do the same and one of the first things he had come to both love and hate was his cat eyes’ ability to show off his emotions without his control. It was one of the main reasons he kept them hidden under glamour unless he was angry, annoyed, frustrated or feeling particularly murderous.

The opposite was true for the cat eyes he had inherited his own from. Those on the other man’s were empty, lifeless and soulless. They gave away nothing and contained nothing. It was as if the eyes’ sole purposes were to be there to complete the portrayal of the other’s human form and that little titbit was something he had failed to see the first time he had glimpsed the other’s eyes all those years ago – probably because he had been feeling too much to notice much of anything at the time.

Across him, the man started to move forwards with those emotionless cat eyes peering out at him from within the darkness. A shiver threatened to run through Magnus’ body and he swallowed harshly as the other came into closer focus and he was able to see the cruel smile curving on the other’s lips with more clarity.

The vial he had picked up from Moloch’s ashes warmed disturbingly inside his inner coat pocket and he valiantly fought the itching need to throw its contents as far away from his body as possible. He flexed his fingers more obviously in agitation and noted with satisfaction how the other man paused with an eye flicker towards his hands though that didn’t last long as the other started to speak.

“I’ve been waiting for you to summon me, Magnus, and yet you never did.”

As if in response to the false dismay and underlying threat hidden in the man’s unearthly silken voice, the darkness warped and started to press unto Magnus with a slowly building pressure. His hands shook with the control he was exerting in keeping his magic in bay – his magic that wanted to lash out in response to the danger, his magic that wanted to protect him from a force he had inherited his own reckoning power from and his magic that would be nothing compared to the other’s if they were to truly come to blows.

This wasn’t an enemy he was the least bit prepared to fight with. And, he surmised, he would never be because it would be a fight he would never win alone and even with allies by his side, the chances of victory were slim to none. No, instead, he opened his mouth and with an even voice said, “You knew very well I would never summon you again.”

“You’ve been known to do many a foolish things in the name of _love_. A human weakness that my blood wasn’t powerful enough to overcome. It is one of the few things you do that disappoints me.”

Magnus nearly flinched at the way the word ‘love’ was said with such intense revulsion. He could almost hear Camille whispering the word with the same abhorrence and it sent a real cold trickle down the centre of his being. There were many quotes, phrases, beliefs and opinions he had said to Camille in the past whenever she would ridicule his strong relation with love though there were none he wanted to voice right then.

He supposed it was one time he could let the matter of ‘love’ slide in exchange for not angering or pissing off the being before him.

“That aside,” The man swept his hand to the side in a move reminiscent of Magnus’ own flourishes. “You have made me most proud, son.”

Magnus felt his blood drain from his face at the term. “ _Don’t_.” He hissed and his golden-green cat eyes flashed brightly in warning.

The man smirked in what was possibly supposed to be in amusement yet only came off as cold. “You will make me prouder today, Magnus. Lilith has made a powerful pawn on Earth, one she boasts to be more powerful than Greater Demons and, indeed, my Asmodei.” At this, the smirk twisted into a hateful and derisive sneer.

Magnus felt himself grow colder in fear at what was being said to him. For all he knew, he was the _only_ Asmodei left – the _only_ son Asmodeous had left on Earth. He took a shaky step back, sure that his face had a hint of the terror he was feeling with the unknown plans he was sure his _father_ had for him.

“Imagine the destruction you could cause, Magnus, when you unleash the full potential of your powers. Your magic is begging for it. All you have to do is _embrace it_.” Asmodeous persuaded with bright golden-green cat eyes and a softer smirk. “You _will_ embrace it.”

“I _won’t_.”

Asmodeous smirked wider, more cruelly. “Silly boy. I wasn’t asking.”

“I –,” Magnus cut himself off when a loud _crack_ ricocheted in the dark space they were in. He watched with horror as the very ground he stood on started to split in the centre and he could glimpse black shadows start to slip out from the cracks. And before he could move to protect himself, the black abyss itself started to assault him and he was thrust into the void.

His body went rigid and his mind blanked. He thought he must have been shaking like a leaf from the unimaginable pain he was sure he was being subjected to as the dark magic ripped its way past his carefully crafted core to nestle inside the very centre of his being with abandon but all he truly felt was the freezing temperature creeping inside his veins.

“You’re the only Asmodei I have left.” Asmodeous’ voice whispered around him, within him. “Lilith can house that brat in Edom for all I care but I won’t have some Lilith-blooded Nephilim overpower my offspring.”

Magnus gritted his teeth as he literally _felt_ his golden-green cat eyes morph into black eyes. He could hear himself screaming and it was a gut-churning sound he never wished to be privy to again. The blackness peeled itself away and his vision started to come back along with his golden-green cat eyes and he nearly slumped in relief when the dark magic’s hold on him disappeared.

He saw sparks of magic the colour of black and blood red jump in and out of his skin and he shuddered at the thought of his very self being violated in this way. He closed his eyes and staggered where he stood, feeling almost as if his whole world was collapsing on him as the whole impact of what had been done to him dawned upon him with a terrible chill. His eyes shot open and he aimed a hateful glare at the demon he begrudgingly acknowledged as the one who spawned him. “I’m not your pawn, _Father_.” He spat.

“No.” Asmodeous grinned with more glee, dark as it was, than he thought the man capable of. “You’re my offspring and I have plans for you.”

And then, just as suddenly as he had appeared, the Prince of Hell vanished along with the abyss and Magnus was suddenly thrust back into the reality of the war happening around him. His magic, in reaction to his abrupt shock, lashed out and burned the enemies in his nearby vicinity to death before returning to swirl around him like a dark and dangerous cloak.

He looked up at the sky to see the bright beams of magic his friends were casting continuously into the sky as they waited patiently for him to start absorbing their powers into himself and he sighed heavily. His plan to use his friends’ energies to strengthen his own were for naught now but then he supposed it would be worse to allow them to think him unable to use their help for whatever horrible reason they could think of.

He would not be the cause for them to enter the fray of war.

Magnus raised his hands to the sky and curled his fingers in to beckon the magic beams and they arched gracefully towards him until the white light touched his fingertips with such gentleness that he almost wept from the reminder of the opposite happening to him just moments ago.

As the beams started to weaken into narrow streams and then into wisps, his golden-green cat eyes turned steadily brighter until it started to gleam with the force of the sun and his pupils gradually dilated into wide ovals. He looked back down from the sky and cast his gaze along the wide berth of circle the Downworlders and enemies alike had surprisingly carved out for him.

He didn’t get to wonder long before he was given an answer; the demons were cowering under the force of his eyes’ light. It gave him a disconcerting mix of sadistic glee and concern to see both Circle members and Downworlders avoiding his eyes with palpable unease though the concern sharpened when he spotted a wary Raphael and Lily doing the same.

Without warning, his demonic side overtook him, singing with fiendish delight at the blatant fright he was causing amongst his own people and those who called themselves his enemies. Not one of them, arrogant as they were, would be stupid enough to approach him at his current state.

Magnus’ ruby-stained lips thinned into a cruel smile and he laughed at the thought. As his chuckles subsided, he noted with detached interest that the crack Asmodeous had inflicted on the ground was still present and he trailed his eyes along the near-invisible shadows slipping out from what he presumed was an open gateway to and from Edom.

A peculiar dark cloud of gas floated out and into the air but he paid it no mind though something nagged at him from the back of his mind. He walked along the crack with nonchalant steps and he twirled his right hand around, letting his black and blood red magic dance around the air. The dark cloak of magic that cocooned his body fluttered in the non-existent air and he smiled haltingly as a fierce-looking Circle member jumped out of the battle to face him with ill-advised courage.

He kept on walking along the crack, unfazed, and started to whisper a demonic spell under his breath. His whispering was a unique combination of Chthonic, Purgatic, Gehennic and Tartarian demonic languages and it was a demonization of a devastating spell he had encountered years ago. The spell had been forgotten since and any mention of it had been destroyed but it had remained in his memory and he was about to unleash it to the unsuspecting idiots warring between themselves.

If they were too scared to face him head-on then he would _make them_.

The ground started to shake violently, the crack widened with a loud _bang_ and the shadows flowed out of the split with more gusto. As Magnus tilted his head back, he saw the Circle member who brazenly wanted a face-off with him fall into the open depths of the ground and he closed his eyes with smile.

The world was filled with the sweet noise of terrified screams from those around him and loud screeches from the tortured souls in Hell.

He lifted his hands blindly and curled his fingers inwards; the demonic energies seeping out of the cracks rushed to him obediently. They swept past the ground in a great whoosh to curl by his feet before swirling up and around his legs before finally reaching his fingertips with a vitalising spark.

Slowly, he opened his eyes and tilted his head back to level with a pleased twist to his grin.

The shadows now covered the moon and Idris was now well and truly pitch black. There was turmoil in the stares directed at him by those whose faces were illuminated under the fierce glow of his golden-green cat eyes and he realised that not even the mighty powers of the Nephilim’s weapons could withstand the oppressive darkness of Hell.

A sick smirk curled on Magnus’ lips, a perfect reflection of Asmodeous’ earlier one.

 

*~*~*~*

Brocelind Plain was nothing short of a bloodbath. The stench of smell was sharp, the horrid scent of death was ever-present with every inhale and the penetrative odour of sulphur that demons carried with them seemed a permanent fragrance in the chaotic space. Every which way had savagery and gore, there was no space left to breathe properly nor to see beyond a few steps.

It had taken merely seconds for Alec to lose his siblings, Clary and Lydia and he was sure that none of them had looked back. Their goal was rapidly disappearing into thin air and he was fighting with feverish desperation to get to the end of the line. The enemies he was passing, the allies – he couldn’t see any of them.

He wasn’t fighting. He was cutting through the mass with unparalleled focus and all he could think about was that Magnus needed him. It didn’t matter that none of them knew if they would survive fighting against a Greater Demon, didn’t matter that none of them were remotely prepared for it. The only thing that did matter was they weren’t going to let Magnus fight alone with only Raphael and Lily as backup.

One glance to the sky told him that the white beams in the air had turned into thin wisps and his time was running out. His heart skipped a beat before thundering inside his chest and he roughly burned another speed rune into his skin. Instantaneously, his steps quickened and his eyes started to burn with the pressure as he used his vision to death in seeking which path to take and how to move past those in front of him whilst keeping track of the fading wisps.

He slammed his shoulder against a Forsaken in his way and trampled past a Circle member with increasing distress as he tracked the last of the wisp disappear. His hands trembled from the fear galloping inside his chest and just when he saw an opening a few feet in front of him where he could glimpse what he hoped to the Angels was Magnus, a solid body slammed into his chest.

Alec was thrown to the ground from the impact and he hit his head with a resounding thud. He gasped and rolled to a stand, trying futilely to stumble past the crowd in his way with his vision swimming and his body swaying. He tripped on something he guessed was a body on the ground and groaned even as he braced for another impact onto the ground when a hand wrapped around his stomach and he was righted.

He took a few deep breaths and clumsily drew a few more runes onto his stomach, only stopping when the world stop turning and he was able to clearly see that it was indeed Magnus whom he had glimpsed moments ago. His eyes flicked to the side and he expected to see Jace with Izzy and Clary or perhaps Lydia with one of the two but who he saw was the last person he would have thought of. “Raphael?” The vampire had an indescribable look that he decidedly didn’t like and he had a feeling he’d like the Downworlder’s words even less.

“We need to run.”

Alec had to pause at that because _really_ he ran all this way to get to Magnus, there was no way in hell he was turning back around to leave his boyfriend all alone with _no_ backup. By the Angel, that would be even worse of a situation than earlier. “No.” He ripped himself from the grip of the vampire with an incredulous glare. “Magnus is –,”

“Not himself.” Raphael interrupted. “He would want me to move you to safety.”

“What do you mean ‘not himself’?” Alec demanded but the vampire didn’t have time to answer because the earth shook violently to the point that everyone around him including himself toppled gracelessly onto the ground and the world suddenly became very, very cold and extremely dark. His breath hitched in his throat and he grabbed at the witchlight by his belt only to realise that the light was too weak to penetrate the blackness.

“It’s Magnus.”

“What – ?” Alec cut himself off when, in the midst of the continuous tremor, he felt the ground he was stood on begin to split. His body went cold in fear and he found himself thankful, for what was probably the first time, when the vampire yanked him off to the side and out of the way. “Thanks,” He swallowed harshly.

“We need to move out of his line of sight.” Raphael muttered lowly.

Alec went to glance at the vampire then caught himself when he remembered that he wouldn’t be able to see. Instead, he slowly and carefully trailed his eyes to the only remaining source of light, back to where he saw Magnus earlier. He wasn’t shocked nor did he truly _feel_ anything when he found himself staring into glowing golden-green cat eyes equipped with an unnatural brightness that could possibly rival the sun.

He held his breath when the beacons of light passed over where he remained, crouched on the ground, and his hearing perked as he heard the sound of Raphael hissing in pain. Curious, he looked over and startled upon seeing the vampire cradle a superficially burnt hand. “Is that from…”

Raphael gave him a grim look. “Yes.” The vampire turned away from where Magnus was and sighed heavily. “He went into the abyss where I couldn’t follow and when he came out – His demonic side had overrun him.”

“What can we do?” Alec asked because that’s how he worked. He needed to be given tasks or at least a slight clue as to what his next step must be because without any of those, he was as lost as the next person and with Magnus consumed by his demonic side, his boyfriend would need him more than ever. He wasn’t going to fail him whatever it took. “Tell me.” He urged when the vampire remained silent.

“Nothing.” Raphael murmured. “Only he can help himself now.”

Alec bristled. “Bullshit.” He roughly grabbed the vampire’s arm and shook the other a little. “There has to be something. I’m not giving up on him.” His eyes were burning with fire, he knew it, because Raphael’s expression had changed into one tinged with more respect. He took the vampire’s momentary vulnerability and seized it. “I _will_ help him but I need to know _how_.”

Raphael didn’t beat around the bush. “The first time I asked for your help in retrieving Magnus, he was out of it. You could say this is a much worse state than that.”

“He didn’t respond to me at all that time.” Alec didn’t sound bitter at all. He was sure of it.

“No,” Raphael shrugged. “But it’s different now. He isn’t vacant like before, acting on what his magic recognises – though I’m sure it’d respond to you now. He’s cognizant; he will acknowledge your presence and you may get through to him when he does.”

Alec narrowed his eyes. If it was that easy… “What’s the catch?”

“He may kill you.” Raphael said nonchalantly.

Alec felt his brow twitch in annoyance. “You don’t know what to do either, do you?”

“Not a damn clue, Lightwood.”

“Fuck.” Alec turned away from the solemn vampire and focused his attention on his boyfriend once more. Demons were converging around Magnus and it seemed they were bowing to his command. That was disturbing to behold. He stood up as fast as he dared and took the needed steps forward in order for him to breach the space his boyfriend was occupying whilst Magnus was busy with… whatever it was the warlock was busy with.

His boyfriend was still in the middle of the vacated space, paying no mind to the demons milling around with their heads bowed, and was muttering something whilst those familiar long fingers danced around with black and blood red magic.

Alec was suddenly reminded of why his people didn’t trust warlocks or Downworlders in general. Because they could turn bad in a blink of an eye and not consciously bad as Valentine was but truly evil without the hope of words cutting through the haze of darkness. And… crap.

The blood filling his face drained away and his steps turned quicker in his sudden haste. He couldn’t let Magnus kill any of the Nephilim here or there would be hell to pay and whilst he didn’t give a damn about what the Clave thought of his boyfriend, they still had the power to harm either of them.

“Magnus!” It was probably a bad move to call the attention of a demonic-overridden warlock but Alec didn’t know what other choice he had. He needed to stop Magnus from casting another destructive spell and he needed to get through to his boyfriend – using whatever means possible.

His body shivered when those insanely bright golden-green eyes pierced his own and he held his ground even as he started seeing white spots in his vision from the glare. “Magnus, I know you’re in there.” Not quite original but speaking wasn’t exactly in his skillset. The silence that came after his words was expected. He sighed. “We’ve barely had a day being boyfriends –,” He stopped because that was pathetic and his cheeks were burning from the shame (and from saying it so loudly to who knows how many people around him).

The blush quickly faded though as a large bulk of energy flashed dangerously and the next thing Alec knew, a volatile ball of black and blood red magic was hurtling through the air straight at him. There was no time to avoid it and so with coldness trickling through his heart, he closed his eyes and braced himself.

He braced himself for what was to come except… Except nothing came. No pain, not even a whisper of wind. He peeked through one eye, saw nothing, and then opened his eyes completely. The ground he stood on had a smoking scorched mark on it to indicate the force of the magic he had seen earlier. Alec flicked his eyes up to see a stunned look on Magnus’ face and a smile broke on his face.

His boyfriend’s magic had recognised him.

 

*~*~*~*

 

The world was plunged back into darkness and the battle stopped raging for one confusing minute; everyone paused in mid-action like a movie paused or a game of freeze. This wasn’t a game though and Clary knew that very well so she didn’t care, she dived right back into what she doing and fought hard. She felt invincible as she slayed unsuspecting Circle members and demons with Jace by her side.

They were a duo that should be feared. She believed that with all her heart.

Clary kept her eyes darting back and forth as the battle rebooted itself, anxious to keep her friends in sight. They were all following Jace’s lead to get back to Alec’s side as soon as possible. She was so worried about her kind-of brother because their end goal was getting to Magnus as a team. And it’s sweet, really, that Alec puts Magnus as his first priority but not right now when there was so much danger around.

“Clary. Right!”

She reacted to Lydia’s warning with a quick pivot and slammed the heel of her Seraph blade into the hollow cheek of an ugly Circle member. Her lips curled into a satisfied smirk when the man howled in pain and she shared a glance with Jace when her boyfriend finished cutting the man down. “Is he near?”

“Yeah. Few paces northeast.”

Clary looked over at the direction whilst Jace kept their enemies at bay and flinched away from the brightness of a golden-green light. She wondered what it was but she couldn’t ask now so all she said was, “towards the light?”

“Yes.” Jace grunted.

“You heard him. Let’s get a move on, guys.”

Clary gripped onto her Seraph blade harder at Izzy’s urgent tone and nodded determinedly to herself. She charged into the crowd fiercely and swung her blade in wide slashes at a Circle member that jumped to block her way. The woman’s eyes were knowing and she felt anger bubble up inside of her at the thought of this Circle member hearing Valentine talk about her.

She shouted as she slashed at the woman and grunted when her attack was blocked. Her teeth grinded together and she lifted her feet for a kick only to hit air because the woman had jumped back. She twirled her weapon in her hand and paced forwards the way Jace had thought her, eyes restlessly watching everything around her.

The Circle member came at her with blinding speed and Clary almost found herself stabbed. A loud whoosh left her parted lips and she quickly did a side-stab that grazed the woman’s breast. She leaped back and gasped when she felt a hard body catch her but then relaxed when she recognised Jace’s hands.

She forgot to check her surroundings before moving. Damn it. Alec kept reminding her to do that during training and if she wasn’t so lucky, she might have landed straight into a demon’s lap or something. Ugh.

Clary watched as Izzy easily killed the Circle member and shook her head to chase away the thoughts of Alec and training from her mind. They had a mission to do and she needed to get to Alec, she could practically feel Jace vibrate beside her. “Jace.”

“Alec.”

Their words overlapped and it took a split-second to hear what Jace actually said. It was a split-second too long, Clary thought mournfully as she caught Jace’s advancing form far in front of her. A hand clasped onto her arm and she looked at Izzy sharply then, with a wordless understanding, they ran after Jace.

Lydia was at their heels, eliminating enemies in true bad-ass Head of the Institute form.

The brightness was overwhelming the closer they got to where Alec was and she squinted in discomfort. There was also a sliver of disbelief because Jace didn’t seem to be bothered by the light at all. She wondered if it was a seasoned Shadowhunter thing but quickly thought better of it when she heard Izzy groan beside her.

Clary was wishing desperately for a sunglasses rune when they all got within a feet’s range – she was probably being generous and it was only an inch’s distance because the light was _blinding_. Her vision will be useless in its wake. Actually, no, it was already useless. “Izzy, we have to stop. It’s too bright!”

“No! We’ll lose Jace.”

Izzy had a point and Clary knew it but the light was seriously going to become a problem for them once they get past it. She sighed though because she knew Lightwoods were as stubborn as she was and she wasn’t about to channel her more stubborn self when Jace and Alec’s lives were on the line. So she pushed forward and kept going only to skid to an abrupt stop when the light fell away.

Her head banged forward and then backwards with an uncomfortable snap as an arm around her stomach aided in her unplanned stop. She groaned in pain and took a squinted peek only to see – white spots. “Izzy, can you see?”

“No…”

With no choice, Clary waited for the spots to go away, feeling extremely vulnerable without her sight to aid her. This was war and she was blind. Perfect. She could only take comfort in the fact that she was surrounded by her friends and that the spots were lessening so her vision was clearing with every second that passed. She blinked a few times to clear away the last remaining spots and then she could finally see. “Oh my god, is that Magnus?!”

She gaped at the scene before her. Alec was standing with his back to her facing Magnus who was stumbling around in confusion in the middle of _demons_. Oh my god. Oh my god. When Alec moved forward, she knew that Jace would run after his parabatai before her boyfriend even did it because at the next moment, she and Izzy were at his heels.

Clary ran as fast as she could but she was tiny so even the speed rune couldn’t help her. She watched helplessly while a furious Alec was subdued by a panicking Jace from running into the horde of demons and Magnus was left helpless, still looking so confused by what was happening.

Then it hit her. A rune.

The drawing formed in her mind fast and she acted just as quickly, her stele in hand and the rune burning into the skin of her palm. She thrust her hand out towards Magnus, instinctively knowing that the rune would kill the demons, and sent a prayer that she wouldn’t learn the pain of losing a friend this early in her life.

Her palm seared with hot pain and then light, brighter than the force she charged into earlier, burst forth. The demons vanished in the face of the light and she saw Magnus shrink away from the brightness. It lasted for only a short while and they were all thrown back into the darkness as the hotness in her palm faded.

Clary breathed a sigh of relief and ran over to help Magnus up. She smiled at Alec who had been released by Jace and was hovering over Magnus with such tenderness in his face that it made her heart beat faster even though she knew it wasn’t aimed at her.

It was a moment of peace and happiness in the midst of death and destruction. A short relief from everything terrible that war inevitably brought and it was probably why they were all oblivious to the fast moving shadow running towards them all with much gusto.

**Author's Note:**

> Cliffhanger! Yes, I leave you with a very cruel cliffhanger because... I don't have time. Honestly, I have started the next fic but it's gonna take a while. I'm warning you now.
> 
> But anyway, how was it? Did you like it? Was there something you hated? A glaring mistake I must know about? Want to complain about how much of a drama queen Magnus is? (He is, let's not deny it.) **Comment** and tell me! The more you comment, the more pressure I get into squeezing writing time into my packed schedule. ;)
> 
> Leave me a **kudos** and let me know you loved it!  <3
> 
> You can find me on [tumblr](http://maztri.tumblr.com/).


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